Homeland Security chief visits Rio Grande Valley

Addressing the media at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission, new Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson em- phasized the need to balance security and trade at the border.

Addressing the media at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission, new Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson em- phasized the need to balance security and trade at the border.

Photo: Joel Martinez / (McAllen) Monitor

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This photo provided by the McAllen, Texas police shows Daniel Guardiola Dominguez, 28, of Monterrey, Mexico. Dominguez and Mary Carmen Garcia, 27, also of Monterrey, were arrested Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, after arriving at the border with 96 fraudulent credit cards produced using data stolen during the Target security breach late last year. (AP Photo/McAllen Police via The Monitor) MAGS OUT; TV OUT less

MISSION — Addressing the increase in immigrant apprehensions and the surge in international trade in South Texas will be a challenge that requires constant monitoring, new Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday.

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Johnson, who toured the Rio Grande, a detention center and port facilities in Mission on the first day of a two-day tour of the Southwestern border, said from the Anzalduas International Bridge that the department will make balancing trade and security in South Texas a key component of its mission here.

“Homeland security is not simply border security ... it is also facilitating and expediting trade and commerce, particularly in an area like this where opportunities for growth and more jobs are very, very important,” Johnson said.

Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released data that showed apprehensions in South Texas, especially of Central Americans, drove up totals for the fiscal year that ended in September. In Texas alone, there were 235,567 apprehensions, or 55 percent of the total nationwide.

“We need to monitor trends, border crossings, we need continually stay ahead of the game,” Johnson said. “This area is an area where we see a lot of border crossings among non-Mexicans, which presents some challenges.”

The secretary, who also met with local and state officials, said his visit brought home the importance of federal, state and local cooperation at the border.

Johnson, who won confirmation in December, visits Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday.

In 2012, trade along the U.S.-Mexico border averaged $1.3 billion per day, and despite the 21,000 customs officers already in place, tens of millions of dollars in commerce were lost because of lengthy wait times at the ports of entry.

Part of the federal budget bill, announced last week, is funding for an additional 2,000 CBP agents at the nation's 329 ports of entry, though it is uncertain where the new agents will be assigned.

Included in the appropriations bill was a measure allowing nonfederal entities to contribute to infrastructure enhancements to ease bottlenecks at clogged ports, a measure applauded by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

“For the first time there's an emphasis on the men in women in blue, which is customs,” Cuellar said Tuesday at the Anzalduas International Bridge.